Diageo’s new €200m Kildare brewery is moving toward completion. Over 70% of the build has been completed in less than 12 months.
The positive news comes as a welcome respite for the malting barley sector, reeling from the contraction in whiskey sales and drop in demand for distilling malt and barley.
Construction began at the state-of-the-art facility at Littleconnell, just outside Newbridge, last July. It will produce ale and lager for Diageo, with the first brew due in early 2026.
Having begun construction less than 12 months ago in July 2024, over 700,000 work-hours have been completed by the 580-strong workforce.
Diageo says that key brewing and utility assets are now in place.
“The construction team on-site are undertaking the meticulous work of connecting up all of these assets so that later in the year the brewery will start to come to life,” a Diageo spokesperson confirmed.
Diageo’s new brewery hub “will support the global growth of some of the company’s largest Irish brands including Rockshore, Harp and Smithwicks”.
It will be the second largest brewery in the country, outsized only by St James’s Gate brewery in Dublin 8.
That facility will once again become completely dedicated to Guinness production.
“We are really excited to be making rapid progress at our new state-of-the-art brewery in Kildare,” said Aidan Crowe, Diageo’s beer manufacturing director.
“We are aiming for the site to be the industry standard with a carbon neutral footprint and cutting-edge production facilities.
“This brewery will be highly water and energy efficient, creating jobs in Co Kildare and the surrounding areas while brewing our famous beer brands from the highest quality, locally grown ingredients,” he said.
Boortmalt had announced an expansion in its malt business in Athy on the back of the increased demand for brewing malt.
The downturn in the distilling sector has halted that development for now, although a lot of the equipment has been purchased and is on-site in Athy.
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